Page 75 of Leave Before I Love You
Gah, I miss the era of Bethanythe BitchWilliams and that snake Seth. Sure, it was a little miserable for Beau, being around his ex-best friend and ex-girlfriend all the time, but things wereexciting.
Last I heard, Bethany and Seth’s dad Chris were traveling the world together or some shit, and Seth had gone to Hollywood to fake an acting career. Evidently, they took the fun with them, because now all people do here is work.
My phone buzzes on my desk, and I eagerly snatch it up, hoping for a reprieve from the dullness. It’s a text from Ethel, one of my old lady friends from The Pines.
Ethel: Avery, darling, are you coming by today to help our little fashion disaster Darla? She’s sweet as pie, but I simply cannot witness her spandex sweatpants for another day. My eyes are burning at just the thought of it.
A smile tugs at my lips as I read her message. Ethel’s always dramatic, which is what makes her one of my favorite people. I can easily clear out today’s schedule for a trip to The Pines. Lord knows I’m more likely to stay awake there than here in this god-awful cubicle.
Before I can type out a reply, my phone buzzes in my hand with another text. This time, it’s Henry. I nearly rub my hands together with glee.
Finally, things are getting stimulating!
Henry: Want to meet for lunch?
I grin to myself, leaning back in my chair as I tap out a quick reply.
Me: Is this a booty call?
“What are you doing?” June’s voice pops up behind me, startling the life out of me. I turn slowly to find her leaning over my cubicle wall. “Who are you texting?”
I quickly tilt my phone away, hiding the screen. “Jeez, stalk much?”
June rolls her eyes. “You want to go get lunch? I’m starving.”
I smirk. “Juni, you’re always starving.”
“Because I’m pregnant,” she argues back, a small frown line forming between her eyebrows.
I laugh. “I’m not judging. I mean, that baby growing inside you is a boy, and as we all know, men are soul-suckers,” I say matter-of-factly, leaning back and crossing my arms.
“Shh,” June shushes me. “Don’t say that too loud, Ave. Everyone in the office could hear.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot,” I respond with a snort. “Not only are you pukingandhungry all the time, you’re also losing your mind ninety percent of time. Seriously.” I drop my voice to a whisper. “Only a man would do this to a woman.”
“I am not losing my mind,” June refutes, pointing a stern index finger in my face. I playfully swat it away.
“June, I love you, but at Christmas, you were all excited, not only to tell us you were pregnant, but that you’re also having a—” I start to say, but my words are cut off when June slaps her palm over my face.
It’s my turn to roll my eyes. And also, promptly remove her hand from my mouth.
“Just curious, but why are we acting like we don’t know what you’re having even though we do know what you’re having?”
Apparently, while Henry and I were stuck on the island, June decided that she wants to pretend they don’t know what they’re having—even though they clearly do know. It’s all very confusing, and honestly, I think she’s the only one who truly understands it.
“Because that’s what I did with Addy. And everything with Addy’s pregnancy and delivery was perfect and I don’t know… I just… I want everything to go smoothly. I don’t want anything bad to…” She pauses as tears start to well in her eyes.
“June,” I say, my voice the kind of tender she needs right now. I reach out to take her hand into mine. “Everything is going to go smooth, okay? You and that perfect little baby inside your belly are healthy and happy, and nothing is going to change that.”
She nods, sniffles, and I hand her a tissue from my desk to wipe her tears away.
I’m not therapist, but there’s a large part of me that wonders if her new fixation on pretending she doesn’t know she’s having a boy and planning an actual gender reveal party has everything to do with how out of control she felt when Henry and I were missing for two weeks.
And as I sit there and watch my best friend struggle to pull herself together, I make a conscious decision to give her whatever she needs. Even if that means pretending.
“So, anyway,” I say, making a point to raise my voice so anyone around us can hear. “I honestly think you’re having a boy.” I toss a secret wink in her direction. “Only a man would make a woman feel this awful on the regular. But what do I know, right?”
June laughs, the sound soft and genuine. Then her eyes get all dreamy, and she rests a hand on her still-small bump. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough, huh?”
